Garage Sales; BOO-YA!

I love to garage sale and I find lots of goodies to turn into cash.

Today, as I was going to the first sale, I see a huge pile at Curbco. I get 4 computers and a microwave. There was more, but I was in my wifes truck and didn't want to jam a bunch of dirty crap in the car and hear the complaints about how there is SO MUCH SAND, and WHY DID YOU TEAR THE SEAT?...

I also got 2 new Moen shower valve brass bodies with their Acutemp cartridges in them, a brass pitcher, and a Dewalt brad nailer (tested it and working) for $40. The nailer was worth the price, but the Acutemp cartridges are $50 a piece new in the store... and I still can scrap the brass bodies! I shopped another curbco and got telecom equipment ( will post a pic when I have more time). I got a couple of brass knick-knacks for a quarter each, and a vacuum for a buck.

Garage sales are fun, it’s one of the things my GF and I do as a “date.” It’s really great going around, talking to people, admiring some history, even if you don’t buy anything.

They also tend to turn into good scrapping/business opportunities. My logic is that people aren’t holding garage sales to make money, they’re trying to get rid of some junk. So after you chat them up a bit, hand them a business card. You may just get a busted washing machine out of the deal. You’re also likely to get a call when the sale is over and they’re putting all of the leftovers out. Megapiles can be quite lucrative!

Quick story: When I first started scrapping, we happened upon a garage sale of an older couple that would be moving soon. Not only did they have a bunch of scrap for me to haul away, but they had some really great, old books that have some value. On top of THAT, some of them were first editions by Teddy Roosevelt, and my GF LOVES good ol’ TR. Now, this guy wasn’t going to let them go for cheap but I saw an opportunity. I said hey, since you’re moving soon, let’s work out a deal. I have a truck and you’re probably going to need to get some stuff to the dump as well as help moving stuff out of the house. I’ll help you guys out with that if we can have those books. The deal was done and the GF was very, very happy.

Ok, that wasn’t that quick but the bottom line is garage sales are great opportunities to find resale items, scrap contacts and…well, you just never know!

tl;dr Garage sales are awesome opportunities for our line of work

"Don't try to be a great man, just be a man. Let history make its own judgments"

It's also a good way to network. If your hitting up these kinds of things an not leaving a card, or contact info your not getting the most out of the contact.

Some of my best customers/clients I found by visiting their yard/garage sales. Plenty of threads on here by me an others proclaiming the awesomeness that is the yard/garage sale. Same with thrift stores.

Sirscrapalot - You know nothing about sand till you live on a sandbar.

Garage sales are fun, it’s one of the things my GF and I do as a “date.” It’s really great going around, talking to people, admiring some history, even if you don’t buy anything.

They also tend to turn into good scrapping/business opportunities. My logic is that people aren’t holding garage sales to make money, they’re trying to get rid of some junk. So after you chat them up a bit, hand them a business card. You may just get a busted washing machine out of the deal. You’re also likely to get a call when the sale is over and they’re putting all of the leftovers out. Megapiles can be quite lucrative!

Quick story: When I first started scrapping, we happened upon a garage sale of an older couple that would be moving soon. Not only did they have a bunch of scrap for me to haul away, but they had some really great, old books that have some value. On top of THAT, some of them were first editions by Teddy Roosevelt, and my GF LOVES good ol’ TR. Now, this guy wasn’t going to let them go for cheap but I saw an opportunity. I said hey, since you’re moving soon, let’s work out a deal. I have a truck and you’re probably going to need to get some stuff to the dump as well as help moving stuff out of the house. I’ll help you guys out with that if we can have those books. The deal was done and the GF was very, very happy.

Ok, that wasn’t that quick but the bottom line is garage sales are great opportunities to find resale items, scrap contacts and…well, you just never know!

tl;dr Garage sales are awesome opportunities for our line of work

"Hey babe, just stay the night (Friday), we will get up early and go garage selling." Works EVERY time! LOL

They also tend to turn into good scrapping/business opportunities. My logic is that people aren’t holding garage sales to make money, they’re trying to get rid of some junk. So after you chat them up a bit, hand them a business card. You may just get a busted washing machine out of the deal. You’re also likely to get a call when the sale is over and they’re putting all of the leftovers out. Megapiles can be quite lucrative!

Another inspirational moment! Great idea. I need to hand out cards at yard sales without being asked. I sale around with my mag signs and give cards as asked, but I think I will be a little more aggressive handing out cards

As an aside, I have picked up several packages of business card printer packages to print business cards at recent yard sales. I have decided to use them to make my scrap cards as I am not as worried about them looking perfect as I am my handyman cards... But who knows what the future will bring. Gonna paper the town, baybeeee!

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I keep my garage sale money separate form my employment money. Garage sale money supports itself, so I have to sell or I cannot buy. Well, I buy scrap at sales, brass, copper old bikes and exercise equipment, many times there is a "free" box that has scrap in it and often there is scrap out as trash.

A very lucrative vein lately has been silver plate. It is usually plated over copper (less likely) or brass (more likely) and can be bought for 1/3 to 1/4 melt (more often, less). I have been hoarding it waiting for prices to rise, but I decided I needed to dump most of the bigger crap to free up space in the shop. I took in 60# of platters and bowls and pitchers and teapots as well as faucets and other plumbing parts. $100 in brass. $12 in vacuum motors. $28 in shred and another $60 in other various items. My garage sale purse is restocked and ready to go. About to go shopping this morn and pickup scrap this aft from contacts made at garage sales this and last week. Thank you MattyNoNeck for the really great idea of passing out scrap cards!

I found the coolest thing this week. It was a brass lamp that was adjustable height for reading in a chair. It had a lamp socket that had an integrated dimmer. When I plugged it in I almost $hit myself. I did overpay for the lamp ($1)... So, I got the brass (~1#), 7' ICW, ~10#cast iron, and a really cool dimmer (already installed into LR lamp). Woot! Woot!

Rummage sales aren't happening here yet, probably another 2-3 weeks and they'll get rolling. The 3-4 thrift stores during the winter to find goodies to try to re-sell are getting a bit old. Bring on the green grass, sustained warmth, and open beckoning garages!!!

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Years back I drove a 1972 Cadillac ambulance and did the flea markets and would do clean outs, go to auctions and also check out the garage sales and such.

I would many times find people that would contact me when they wanted to sell out their garage sale stuff. I did very well as most TIMES I spent around $20 to $50 and that was the value of one or two items in the load.

I handed out business cards back then, but the best advertising I had was colorful printed flyers with a big ambulance on them. Many TIMES people would try to see what they might have that they wanted rid of just so their kids could see the big "ghost busters" ambulance with all it's lights and music. I had that thing "wired up" for sure. I still have it parked out in the weeds. It will never travel the road again as it had over 500 thousand miles on it when I first got it and I put many a mile on it traveling around the states and such. It was one of my favorite vehicles of all TIME. The ambulances back in those days were recycled as long as could be with replacement engines and such to keep them going. It had been in service less then a year before I bought it. I sure did enjoy driving that ambulance as it was a comfortable ride and it looked kinda cool for sure.

GIMMICKS is what makes some folks rich & famous.

I still like going to the thrift stores and sales and see what I might find. I don't bother much with auctions beyond buying on eBay.

I do find a bargain or treasure now and then at a thrift or yard sale. But as the years go by the good and quality pickings are getting thin to none.

Seems these daze that some of the best items at some sales are in the FREE boxes. I have found some great finds in the FREE boxes. Gold, silver, rare items and such. Different people value things differently. I have found many a gold or silver item in a baggie of mixed jewelry for 25 or 50 cents a bag.

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Warsaw , Ind. In the heart of the lakes, and down the street from the hotel where Al Capone stayed.

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When Snodly (Phil) and I started out we also started with haul off's of left over yard sales. We hit the sales while they were still open and hand a card or two and explained that if they did not want to mess with the left-overs, or didn't want to store it for next time then we would haul it off for them. Ended with quite a bit of good usable stuff, so that went into our own sale. Clothes and misc. went to the local nonprofit. Usually had buyers (private) for good furniture. There was always electronics and misc. scrap mixed in. Kept getting calls for a couple of years after that.

A couple weeks ago I picked up a Honda 20hp 10,000 watt generator for $175. I was told the motor ran, but the head was bad. I figured that even if the head was shot, the 20hp Honda engine was worth the $175. It looks like a new Honda 10k gen runs over $2,000, so I took it to see how much to fix it. Well, I took it in and the cost was $325 to get it up and running and kicking out the 10,000 watts. So, I have $500 into a generator I think I can sell for $1,200 or so. Looks like I might have hit a home run! I will let you know how it turns out.

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It is big and it is a workhorse. I have a 6500 watt that I try to keep active for storms, but... This is far better used to turn into cash and I can use that money for other avenues of preparations.

The garage sale purse loves to eat and its' stomach is used to stockpile cash, that is used to buy and find more food for the garage sale purse. I am hoping to share with you guys, and ask for your help in a project from the garage sale purse that I hope will feed the purse and help you all feed your purses. It is under construction at this time and I hope to have it up and running by the end of the year...

Garage sales are fun, it’s one of the things my GF and I do as a “date.” It’s really great going around, talking to people, admiring some history, even if you don’t buy anything....

My wife and I do that as well, every Friday...it's great fun meeting people, and we always laugh and joke, people always ask us if we just got married...we always chuckle and let them know it's our 23rd year...

last week I got a Garmin complete with cord working perferctly for $1, and a like new Dewalt corded 1/2" drive impact for $10 (retails for $159).

often pickup stuff for scrap when it's cheap. one sale may have a big tube tv for $40, then next it's free...can't figure that one out.

free boxes are always good, you can find some good stuff in there to scrap. usually I buy stuff to resell, love finding snap-on or craftsman tools for 25cents...

some of my best finds: Astatic silver eagle microphones (3) $2 ea. sold on ebay for $80 each...
little silver alcohol stove 25 cents. turns out it's an 1800's real silver heating stove for a very fancy English tea set...sold for $150
Holley carb for $2. ran the #'s, turns out it was for a lat 60's Dodge Charger. sold on a musclecar website for $250...

My best was a Pioneer equalizer from the 1980s. Bought it for 75 cents and sold it for over $70. Another one that got me into watching for deer skulls with the antlers still on. Bought a decent symmetrical 4x4 (8 pt. your eastern ways) WT buck skull late in the rummage season (October) late in the day. Got it and a small just skull cap 2x2 for $5 total (the guy had wanted $20 for the big skull earlier but had no takers). I sold it for $65 on-line.

But such scores are few and far between around here. Probably a population threshold thing...